Issue 274: Automated for the people

Every other week, it seems like somebody has a new AI-related take or buzzword, and the rest of us have to sort out whether it's worth learning about. Like agents; what the heck are they? Fortunately, we dug into that very question to see what lies beneath the hype. Agents, like a lot of software, help automate tasks—we're got a look at how much you can automate sysadmin tasks. Then, with all these AI agents running rampant in your system, you need to think about scale—in our latest Leaders of Code, Recursion's VP of engineering Maureen Makes does just that. xx

As we've often promised and occasionally delivered, we have more for you besides AI. In the latest We'll Be In Touch, Kyle sits down with former Stacker Michael Stum to chat about WebAssembly, how he learned to code by tackling Stack Overflow questions, and more. Speaking of Stack Overflow (aren't we always?), our private version, Stack Overflow for Teams, has a new release for Enterprise users. xx

Okay readers, lightning round <airhorn>. How do you tell HR that you're quitting because your desk is terrible? Why does Discord see through time? What can you learn from the failure of a startup? Will the CVE database disappear when its grants run out?

From the blog

Wait, what is agentic AI?

Is “agentic AI” just a buzzword, or is it the sea change it seems?

Engineering teams need to adapt to AI’s scaling challenges

AI is not a linear process. To scale effectively, engineering leaders must account for varied edge cases, presenting a new set of challenges.

WBIT #7: Exploring WebAssembly with the first SO user to get 10k rep

Kyle interviews Michael Stum, a former Stacker who started (and returned) to answering questions on the community site.

Smarter insights, stronger teams: New features for Stack Overflow for Teams

2025.3 | Teams Enterprise Release

Like self-driving cars, fully AI-automated sysadmins don't exist

As with cars, there are few system administration tasks that involve little to no automation.

Interesting questions

Discord thinks I am living in the future - why?

The Back to the Future reboot looks pretty boring.

I've decided to leave my job entirely over ergonomic reasons. How honest should I be at the exit interview?

"You're not leaving over an ergonomic issue, you're leaving over their continued refusal to address your very reasonable concerns regarding your working environment and its effects on your health. "

My quadriplegic relative would like to fly long distance. He has a full time aide and will require a lie-down seat. Are aides allowed by airlines?

“It’s important to be as specific and detailed about your requirements as possible.”

What gives the executive branch the power to freeze a college’s funding?

Just another reason to read every clause in every contract.